I am currently engaged in a debate on Facebook over the new minimum wage structure that the Alberta Government has implemented. The gentleman that I am in discussion with is of the opinion that $9/hr should sufficient to keep a family afloat. I disagree. We have been debating back and forth for most of the day. Pretty interesting but there's one problem. He's a troll.
According to Wikipedia, a troll is defined as "someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion."
The conversation started off very diplomatically. I was truly interested in hearing what he had to say and why he believed that this wage was sufficient. I challenged him with some questions. He answered them - well, he answered some of them. I asked again and thanked him for his response. He respectfully replied. I'm thinking - "this is great! This kind of dialogue is what's lacking in Canadian politics today. I love this!" And then.... it started getting ugly.
He started to insult me, and others that are questioning him. He told one woman (who identified herself as a teacher) that "Teachers are overpaid.... in university all the kids that can't hack anything over a B run to education to find a good paying job." Not nice.
Not only is it not nice, but he is essentially trying to shut down any real dialogue. I find this utterly appalling.
I don't believe that everyone has to think the way I do but I am disgusted by the lack of courtesy and respect that I see in politics in this country. Canadians are being constantly exposed to this toxic political atmosphere so it's no wonder people are feeling disenchanted with the whole thing. Why speak up if you're going to be bullied?
So here I sit, trying to decide how I will respond. Knowing that he is deliberately trying to provoke people and "get their goats". Do I take the bait? Do I continue to press him to answer the questions I've posed to see if he can? Or do I stop wasting my energy?
Or perhaps I should simply point out his lack of courtesy and ask him to stick to the issues. What do you think?
I generally troll back. That's me though. If someone debates politely I stay polite as well but when the trolling starts I respond in kind. For example when the comment on those who take education gets made cast aspersions to the humanity of those who major in whatever he took. Mature? Not really. It's not always the best approach for many people though.
ReplyDeleteOften a better solution is that you point out that he's clearly not interested in actually addressing the issue and is dodging questions. Call him out and then disengage.
Incidentally, I called him out for being insulting and not sticking to the issues. He hasn't responded...
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